Global Customs Administrator

Position Summary and Primary Focus:

The Global Customs Administrator owns customs compliance for Farsound Aviation across every region the business operates in. The role covers the full breadth of day-to-day customs activity, including tariff classification, preferential origin, and the customs processes and documentation behind every shipment, together with management and reconciliation of duty deferment accounts alongside the finance team, and close day-to-day work with warehouse teams to keep stock and inventory records accurate and compliant. The role holder also manages the relationships and correspondence with Farsound’s appointed customs brokers in each region, acting as the business’s central point of contact for anything customs related.

Historically this has been a UK-focused role. As Farsound’s international footprint grows, it is being reshaped into a genuinely global one, extending the same standard of customs administration, process ownership and broker oversight to every region Farsound trades in. The role is designed to be deliverable by one person within a single, predictable shift; it is not intended to require on-call cover or irregular hours.

Reporting Relationships:

Reports to: Global Customs Manager

Key Responsibilities

Tariff classification, preference & customs processes

• Classify goods accurately using the correct HS/commodity codes for aircraft parts and components, keeping classification records current as ranges and regulations change.

• Determine and apply preferential origin, ensuring trade agreements are used correctly and supported by the right evidence (e.g. supplier declarations, certificates of origin).

• Maintain Farsound’s customs processes and documentation standards, keeping them consistent and up to date across regions.

• Monitor changes in customs and trade regulations, tariffs and preference agreements in key jurisdictions, and update internal processes accordingly.

• Support applications and approvals for relevant customs procedures (e.g. inward/outward processing, customs warehousing, simplified declarations) as needed.

Duty deferment & finance reconciliation

• Monitor Farsound’s duty deferment accounts, keeping usage within agreed limits and guarantees.

• Reconcile deferment account statements and duty/VAT postings with the finance team each period, investigating and resolving discrepancies.

• Provide finance with accurate customs cost data and supporting documentation for reporting and audit purposes.

• Support customs-related audits, internal or authority-led, with accurate records and evidence.

Warehouse & stock compliance

• Work closely with warehouse teams to ensure stock movements and inventory records are accurate and comply with customs requirements.

• Support stock reconciliation, investigating and resolving discrepancies between physical stock and customs/inventory records.

• Ensure correct customs treatment of parts moving in and out of storage, including any bonded or licensed facilities.

Day-to-day broker coordination

• Act as the main day-to-day point of contact for Farsound’s appointed customs brokers, in the UK and internationally.

• Provide brokers with accurate, complete shipment information and documentation so declarations can be filed correctly and on time.

• Track shipments through customs clearance, chasing brokers for status updates and progressing anything held up or delayed.

• Investigate and resolve queries or discrepancies raised by brokers, carriers or internal teams, and escalate urgent or high-risk issues promptly.

• Check and validate broker invoices, including duties, VAT and broker fees, for accuracy before they’re approved for payment.

Cross-team liaison & global broker relationship management

• Act as the go-to person for customs matters across the business, working closely with sales, logistics, warehouse and finance teams.

• Monitor and maintain Farsound’s relationships with appointed customs brokers across all regions, monitoring performance against agreed KPIs and SLAs and reporting on this regularly.

• Hold regular review calls or meetings with brokers to discuss performance, address recurring issues and drive improvements.

• Support the selection and onboarding of new customs brokers as Farsound expands into new regions or markets and share good practice across the broker network.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience in customs compliance or international trade administration, ideally within aviation, aerospace or freight, covering classification, preference and customs procedures.

• Practical knowledge of tariff classification, preferential origin and duty/VAT treatment.

• Comfortable working cross-functionally with finance, warehouse, logistics and sales teams, and confident communicating with contacts in other countries and time zones.

• Experience managing external suppliers or brokers, comfortable holding them accountable to KPIs and SLAs.

• Well organised and methodical, able to manage a varied daily workload spanning classification, stock, finance and broker queries without close supervision.

• Competent user of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Desirable

• Direct hands-on experience of customs declarations or filing.

• Experience working in a bonded/customs warehousing or stock-controlled environment.

• Familiarity with export control regimes relevant to aerospace parts (e.g. UK Strategic Export Control, EAR, ITAR).

• Knowledge of customs regimes beyond the UK (e.g. EU, Canada, USA), and experience with customs/trade software or ERP systems.

Hours & Working Pattern

This role works Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 20:00. The later start is designed to give practical overlap with international offices and partners while keeping the role to one clearly defined shift each day. The intention is a manageable, sustainable workload rather than extended or unpredictable hours. Any occasional flexibility to support an urgent overseas query outside these hours would be the exception, not the expectation.